did you start the motor tests with a fuse? If so, why not use an electric igniter? It is very unsafe to use a fuse. I know of many people who have been injured due to fuses that didn't give the expected delay time.

If you need help with an electric/electronic ignition system, let me know.

You know,We have to do many engine tests and there is no reason to waste electrical igniters if you have a fuse. I feel safe and of course I made my own fuses.Look at this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0If3CVD7tH8

No, the only sponsor we have is my university.Best,Joshua

SA_Rocket_Guy wrote:

Hi Josh,

did you start the motor tests with a fuse? If so, why not use an electric igniter? It is very unsafe to use a fuse. I know of many people who have been injured due to fuses that didn't give the expected delay time.

If you need help with an electric/electronic ignition system, let me know.

On the fuse-side I feel you are unduly comfortable with the hazards. Also realise that the N-Prize is in jeopardy if the organizers feel you are endangering yourself or others with your practices. It is written in the rules.

If you do a lot of tests, make a lot of igniters. It is far more professional seeing a test with a proper ignition system than someone lighting a fuse and running away.

The original deadline for the N-Prize has come and gone without even a mention on this forum or the official N-Prize forum. It looks like the 10 people that said neither prize would be won by September 19, 2011 were right, and the other 17 were wrong.

It's now one year and counting to the new deadline of September 19, 2012. Maybe we should start a new poll to see how many people think it can be won by the new deadline.

Indeed, congratulations to the other nine people for having an inkling of the scope of the problem and the capabilities of the teams.

If you do start another poll, please don't say "think it can be won"; this poll exists because there was another poll asking if it was possible that the N prize could be won, rather if it actually would be won. Another poll could be made and simplified to yes/no "Will any portion of the N-Prize be won by the end of 2012?"

Though I am also one of the 10 nay-sayers, I am sad that there hasn't been more progress, to date, on a more realistic prize. This is apart from the latest Carmack prize which is far more realistic/practical than the N-Prize, albeit for a different but not unrelated goal.

I would like to see the goal of orbiting a satelite by amateurs reached in the next few years. Without the Nth degree constraints, of course.

I think the the spirit of the N-Prize has merit in that amateurs will have to use a 'shoe-string' budget as they are not NASA or ESA. Thus even if you use an order of magnitude more money to accomplish the task, you will still out-perform the Big Boys in frugality.

It's a money problem only. It is really not that big of a deal and as long as people think that way it will be that way. Prize or no Team Prometheus will eventually put a small sat into orbit one way or another and it wont be that big of a deal when we do it. The number of people that care is far to low. There's just not enough interest in the general public to fund a project and not enough guy's that have what it takes to do it care enough to try. After 3 years of trying to raise the money I've gone back to work as a machinist to fund the project myself. The Carmack Micro Challenge should be a piece of cake but not enough rocketeers realize the infrastructure it takes to accomplish even that! Tracking and logistics are the big problems for the average rocketeer mainly because they don't really care enough about these things. All they care about is the big woosh. I get absolutely nothing out of a rocket that cant do work hence we don't launch many. The balloon launch is the only real way to go if you want to make it to space cheap. I hate the fireworks display's and the waste of money presently being done it's meaningless. I intend to prove that beyond any doubt as soon as possible. Once we do it and we make it available for anyone that wants to do it space shots will be easily done by amateurs. Orbit is a whole nother story but it's doable. The amount of work that can be done is minimal but it's still doable. It may open the door for other things down the line for the younger generations but now it wont matter much in the big picture. Will it matter much at all? I doubt it, but would it be fun, there's no doubt. CSXT supposedly made space (I doubt it highly) did it matter? Not much. So whatever, yall poo poo on the N-Prize if you want but it can be done. It's not over till it's over and there's no doubt it has stimulated some young minds into thinking about the reality of it. Why is it rocket guy's think it's so hard? They don't think big enough! All these model rockets prove that. Just build a bigger rocket stop playing with toy's. Or take your little rocket up on a balloon and launch it. It's about how much money a group of guy's want to spend that's all. The science has existed to do all of it for some time. So in March if we are ready you'll at least get a space shot out of the N-Prize and I bet we get a shot at the Carmack prize regardless of what happens at Blackrock. Because they still haven't gotten the infrastructure down yet. Someone might get lucky and that's fine but better infrastructure for tracking and recovery is needed bottom line.

You are right! Having the funds to do something is what holds back the eager. There are many people with the funds to do what we would want to do but they don't care about it like most of us do.

I started a small company developing rocket motors and kits for the hobby market. Occasionally I do work for a Defense contractor here in South Africa. Since it's not a sustained income I don't have the cash to do what I really want. Sponsors always want to know "What's in it for me?" and as you said with too fee people caring about it, sponsors won't get the exposure they want. Getting a $100k or $1m from a company to develop a rocket that can orbit a nanosat or such is hard. *(Or depends who you know)

* Someone in South Africa apparently got funds from our government to develop a SpaceX-style engine. He is supposed to demonstrate a non-flying concept engine in October. He has never built an engine before or launched a rocket AFAIK. But he has a degree in Aerospace. That probably was most attractive if not his ppt presentation.

In case you are wondering, I am somewhat disapointed that we didn't the chance to build our engine with the gov funds.

My dream is still to launch a rocket into space. A satelite would be a bonus.

Sponsors always want to know "What's in it for me?" and as you said with too fee people caring about it, sponsors won't get the exposure they want. Getting a $100k or $1m from a company to develop a rocket that can orbit a nanosat or such is hard. *(Or depends who you know)

That's the point/definition of sponsorship - you get something in return. What people really need is donations. Musk donated money to SpaceX, Carmack donated money to Armadillo, Bezos to Blue Origin, Allen to Scaled.